Cuprous alkyl mercaptide insecticides and fungicides



3 008-870 cornons ALKYL Mirachrnnn msncncmns AND FUNGICIDES Tyson H. Mailen and Clyde W. Mertz, Bartlesville, 01:131.,

States atent ice erious y h t an inse o ter it om as n a plant, the agent can also be used in solution or in dust form. When the agent is a solid, it can be dusted in substantially pure form. When liquid, or applied as a liquid as in a 5 dispersion or a solution the agent usually will be in' a ass! ors to Phllh s P troleum Com an a co orag Delaware 9 e i p I? concentration of 0.05-5 percent or more. The a-mountof N D i Fil Man 2 1959 g N 302,029 solution or dispersion applied will, of course, deternune 13 Claims. (Cl. 167 the total efiective concentration. The examples herein givenare evidence of various con- Th1s invention relates to plant benefitting agents. In centrations which can be usedto begin with and on which one of 1ts aspects, the invention relates to the use of determination of other concentrations can be based. cuprous alkyl mercaptides on plants to help the plants to The agents of the invention appear to possess little, if recover from attacks by fungi, mildew, etc. In another any, phytotoxicity. of its aspects, the invention relates to the use of cuprous The agents now preferred are the following cuprous alkyl mercaptides to protect plants against the ravages of 15 alkyl mercaptides: insects, such as grasshoppers. In a further aspect of the 1 invention, it relates to the killing of fungi, mildew, etc. on cuprous methyl mercaptlde Cuprous tertiary-butyl mercaptide plants or at other places where these may be present by cuprous tertiarymct-l merca tide contacting the same with a cuprous alkyl mercaptide. I y p In a further aspect of the invention, it relates to the killing Generally, the agents of the invention are cuprous alkyl or combatting of insects, as grasshoppers, on or near mercaptldes 0f the formula plants or wherever the insects may be present. RS'CU It has been found that the application of certain cuprous alkyl mercaptides to plants affected with fungus Wherem R alkyl group f 8 carbon atomsgrowth and visibly suifering therefrom benefits the plants. T cuprous agents of the mventm are, of them, It has also been found that the said mercaptides will kill p f these coppermarcapndes are Water repel an insect, such as a grasshopper. Grasshoppers are known 1611", water insoluble P y are g d 9 a to be ravagers of plants of kinds fine powder, preferably w th kaolin clay, and are applied An object of the invention is to provide a method of as dusts or as suspensions of-thedusts in Water. If desired, benefitting plants. Another object of the invention is to emulslfielis such Tmon XTIOO and X 301 whlc'h are provide a method of helping a plant overcome an attack commercially alfallable i fi rs, can be used. of fungi, mildew, etc. A further object of the invention is the followmg' h tfdbulated mformanon to provide a method of killing an insect which ravages a tratmg an aspect of thls mventlon' plant EXAMPLE I Other aspects, objects and the several advantages of the T M I invention are apparent from a study of this disclosure and a e the a ended claims COMPOUNDS TESTED FOR FUNGICIDAL ACTIVITY ON PP POWDERY MILDEW ON SUNFLOWERS According to the present invention, there is provided a method of benefitting a plant by applying to said plant a Compound Conce tration. benefitting amount, or an effective amount, of a cuprous 40 Weght Percent alkyl mercaptide.

Whe h plant is diseased, as when attacked by fungus, cuprous methyl mefcaptide 81% etc., the cuprous alkyl mercaptide agent of the invention EXAMPLE II Table II OUPROUS MEROAPTIDES TESTED FOR CONTROL OF GRASSHOPPERS Goncen- Number Dead tration, Number at hrs. Percent Method of Application wt. Treated Kill at Remarks percent 48 hrs.

Malathion, 57% Spray hoppers 0.1 10 0 5 8 80 Other two near death. Tetraethylpyrophosphate do 0. l 10 4 10 10 100 I. Ouprous Mercaptides:

methyl Dust on paper. 100 12 6 11 12 100 Two tests. tertiary-butyl "do 100 12 7 10 10 83 Do. tertiary-octyl 25% Dust on paper- 25 10 2 4 8 tertiary-octyl Dust on paper 100 10 10 100 The 25% dust was obtained by grinding the mercaptide to a fine powder with kaolin clay.

can be applied in solution or in dust form and usually is applied in a low concentration of the order of 0.01-5 percent. More or less agent in the composition applied is usually not advantageous. One skiled in the art can readily determine the concentration of the specific cuprous alkyl mercaptide selected which he will use in a given case. This can be done, as he will know, by mere routine tests. The agent of the invention can be applied Without dilution of any kind but this is not now preferred when treating plants. The concentrations given herein are by way of guidance only.

When applying the agent of the invention to kill or The application, to provide the dust on paper, was made by hand simply to obtaina very fine layer or distribution of the dust particles on the paper. Thus, substantially only the feet of the grasshoppers contacted the dust.

Reasonable variation and modification are possible Within the scope of the foregoing disclosure and the appended claims to the invention, the essence of which is that there have been provided a method for the benefitting of plants, more specifically, for the benefitting of plants affected with fungus or attacked by insects, more specifically, that there have been provided a method for discouraging or killing 3 the growth of fungus, especially as found on plants and for killing insects as can be found on plants.

We claim:

1. A method for protecting a living plant against attack by fungi and mildew which comprises applying to said plant cuprous alkyl mercaptide having the formula RSCu wherein R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

2. A method of protecting a living plant against attack by fungi and mildew which comprises applying to said plant cuprous methyl mercaptide.

3. A method of protecting aliving plant against attack by fungi and mildew which comprises applying to said plant cuprous tertiaryl-butyl mercaptide.

4. A method of protecting a living plant against attack by fungi and mildew which comprises applying to said plant cuprous tertiary-octyl mercaptide.

5. A method of killing a fungus which comprises attacking said fungus with an effective amount of cuprous alkyl mercaptides selected from the group consisting of mercaptides having the following formula:

RSCu

wherein R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

6. A method of killing a fungus which comprises applying to said fungus an effective quantity of cuprous alkyl mercaptide selected from the group consisting of mercap: tides having the following formula RSCu wherein R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

7. A method of killing a fungus which comprises applying to said fungus an effective quantity of cuprous methyl mercaptide.

8. A method of killing a fungus which comprises applying to said fungus an efiective quantity of cuprous tertiarybutyl mercaptide.

9. A method of killing a fungus which comprises applying to said fungus an effective quantity of cuprous tertiaryoctyl mercaptide. e

10. A method of killing an insect which comprises contacting said insect with an insecticidal quantity of cuprous alkyl mercaptide having the formula RSCu wherein R is an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

11. A method of killing an insect which comprises con tacting said insect with an insecticidal quantity of cuprous methyl mercaptide.

12. A method of killing an insect which comprises contacting said insect with an insecticidal quantity of cuprous tertiary-butyl mercaptide.

13. A method of killing an insect which comprises contacting said insect with an insecticidal quantity of cuprous tertiary-octyl mercaptide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,176,056 Heinemann Mar. 21, 1916 2,533,744 Skinner Dec. 12, 1950 2,779,703 Crouch Jan. 29, 1957 

6. A METHOD OF KILLING A FUNGUS WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING TO SAID FUNGUS AN EFFECTIVE QUANTITY OF CUPROUS ALKYL MERCAPTIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MERCAPTIDES HAVING THE FOLLOWING FORMULA
 10. A METHOD OF KILLING AN INSECT WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID INSECT WITH AN INSECTICIDAL QUANTITY OF CUPROUS ALKYL MERCAPTIDE HAVING THE FORMULA 